Fire protection has recently undergone regulatory change with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order and the Fire Scotland Act 2005 both focussing on improving fire safety standards in commercial premises and multi-tenancy domestic dwellings. As a result, the quality of the design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of fire protection systems has become a major consideration of the risk assessment required for every premises. Owners are now required to prove that new and upgraded systems are ‘fit for purpose' and risk prosecution in the event of system failure.



Furthermore, the new Chief Fire Officers Association (CFOA) policy for dealing with false alarms from remotely monitored systems calls for owners to obtain a Unique Reference Number (URN), entitling them to receive a Fire Brigade response to automated systems. URNs will only be issued for systems certified by specific third-party certification (TPC) bodies such as NSI. This policy is now being phased in and ultimately all systems requiring response through remote monitoring will need to have been designed, installed, commissioned and maintained by suppliers with TPC from an organisation such as the National Security Inspectorate (NSI).

Recent research from Norwich Union Risk Services (NURS) has made the disturbing revelation that awareness among businesses of the new fire safety legislation has hardly risen since the regulations were introduced on 1 October last year. Just 62 per cent of organisations questioned by NURS were aware of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order. A similar survey carried out before the regulations came into effect in 2006 revealed that 57 per cent of firms were aware of the regulations at that time.

Turning to intruder alarm systems, British Standards including BS 4347 were recently replaced by a UK scheme – known as PD 6662 – calling up the European Standards

EN 50131 and EN 50136. Common with any changes, confusion has arisen in some areas.

As a rule, UK insurers are following the guidelines set down by these standards and are specifying that new systems must be installed to an appropriate grade relative to the level of risk. For many commercial property installations, this is grade three. In some situations installers are undercutting competitors by recommending grade two systems that are not always suitable for commercial locations, although there may be technical reasons for taking the grade two route. Customers should always consult with their insurer before the system is installed. This avoids the problem of your insurer declining cover until a grade two system is upgraded to or replaced by a grade three system. Be warned – check with your insurer first – it could be a costly mistake!

Whatever fire or security work is required, customers should always use only those companies approved through officially recognised TPC bodies, such as NSI.

NSI is an independent, not-for-profit approvals body that operates in the fire and security sectors. Formerly known as NACOSS (NACOSS Gold is now an NSI scheme for electronic security system installers), NSI's focus is centred on achieving the highest standard of service required by customers of fire and security contractors. Therefore, NSI requires its approved companies to meet standards that are in excess of the minimum recognised level, and this has been acknowledged by customers and specifiers for over 30-years.